An Angel's Last Redemption
by Mizu Michiru
Summary: A twisted view of Sephiroth, with Aeris as your guide
1.

The Forgotten Foest An Angel's Last Redemption  
By: Mizu Michiru  
  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
The Forgotten Forest: And the Memories It Holds  
  
  
  
Sephiroth, to some, the name strikes fear, to some, a soothing breeze. Was he evil? or Was he a misunderstood hero? Weakened by his discoveries, overwhelming to him at the time, he became Jenova's favorite puppet. He was The One, produced from her 'greatness'. It was his beckoning,his destiny to free her from the Planet, and become the calamity in the sky. Accepted by none, he turned to her, she had him wrapped around her finger. She could inflict great amounts of pain on him without strain because he was so weak. If his intentions strayed from hers, she played upon his emotions of years of ridicule, being used, manipulated, created to be a murderous monster. When death was around him, it went unnoticed, blood of the innocent cursed his hands, but Jenova washed away the memories, to ensure her future. As Aeris died in Cloud's arms Sephiroth stared blankly at her writhing body. No emotion was ever meant to be etched upon his sullen face. But was that the way he really was? Was that the way he wanted to be?........  
  
  
  
  
Aeris found her way into the Forgotten Forest. The place was warm and welcoming. The Ancients had ceased their cries here. This was a place of peace, happiness. But, she felt a dark, menacing presence near her. She turned and looked up to see Sephiroth standing on a tree branch, with his back leaning on the trunk.   
"Sephiroth....." Aeris breathed.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked up as if coming out of sleep. He turned his head in her direction and stared lifelessly into her eyes.  
  
"I knew I felt your presence here." Sephiroth chuckled evilly.  
  
"How can you be here? This is a Holy Place."  
  
"I'm not doing anything Un-Holy, yet. Therefore I can come and go as I please." he replied blankly.  
  
Aeris had no response. She drew out her Princess Guard and got ready to attack. Sephiroth leapt off the tree branch and landed a few feet away from Aeris.  
  
"Please, there's no need for that. Put it away. I have no intention to harm you." Sephiroth said quietly, obviously hiding what he had said from Jenova.  
  
Aeris thought she saw a hint of serenity flash through his deep, intense, and otherwise lifeless green eyes. She dropped her rod to her side but didn't put it away.  
  
"Why are you here?" Aeris finally asked.  
  
"Jenova wants me to go where's there's power, immense amounts of it. She needs it." Sephiroth said with great intelligence laced into his voice as he circled around Aeris.  
  
"Stop it with the Jenova stuff!! Nevermind what she wants, what do you want?" Aeris asked, turning on her heels to face Sephiroth.  
  
Sephiroth stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her. It looked like he had been slapped in the face, that everything he had learned failed him in his time of need. He had never been asked that question before. He appeared to be lost, bewildered, confused. Aeris put her hand on Sephiroth's upper arm. He snapped back to reality and gazed at her.  
  
"I don't understand." Sephiroth murmured.  
  
Aeris groaned in annoyance and looked up at the tree. There she saw sitting on the branch, where Sephiroth once was, was Jenova, staring down at Sephiroth, controlling him, moving the strings to her favorite puppet. Aeris glared at it in hatred and threw her weapon at Jenova sending her off some ways in the distance. As a result, Sephiroth fell to the ground, with a sickening thud.  
  
"Sephiroth!" Aeris gasped as she fell to her knees beside him.  
  
"Please, I need someone to hold me." he said in a quivering voice.  
  
Aeris wrapped her arms around him and pulled him onto her lap, resting his head just below her chest. Sephiroth's breaths were soft and a little shaky. Aeris felt sorry for him, she almost felt like crying. Her White Materia reacted to her emotions and began to emit a soft light. Aeris reached up and untied her hair bow, letting her hair fall around her face,framing it beautifully, as she grabbed the Materia and brought it out in front of them. The light that grew out from it hurt Sephiroth's eyes, but he dare not look away. Sephiroth reached out for it, but quickly pulled away.  
  
"No, fight Jenova." Aeris demanded.  
  
"I....can't." he said, defeated.  
  
Aeris took hold of his hand and placed her Materia into it. A strange wave of energy ran through Sephiroth, making him shake. Aeris wrapped her arms around him tightly and rested her cheek on the top of his head. Sephiroth began to cry. At last, after so long, he could let all go without caring. There was no one here that would disapprove.  
  
"Aeris, what's that strange feeling I'm getting from you?" Sephiroth asked.  
  
"It's love Sephiroth." she said bringing her face down to his.  
  
She took the Materia from his hand and placed it into the pocket of her jacket. Sephiroth brought his hand up to her face and began to caress her cheek. Aeris placed her hand over his and leaned into his curiously loving touch.  
  
"You're so soft." Sephiroth stated.  
  
A small laugh of acceptance escaped her. He traced his fingers down to her smiling lips and ran them across from corner to corner. Aeris was a little shocked by his advance, but liked it. He placed his hand under her chin pulled her closer to him, until their lips met. A shudder coursed through Aeris as Sephiroth's fingers slowly began to explore lower, down her neck and chest, in-between her breast and eventually over her waist to place his hand on her lower back. Aeris ran her fingers through his long silvery hair. She didn't understand, they were supposed to be enemies, opposites. But she found herself in his loving embrace, kissing him, like she had never kissed anyone before, not even Zach. And Cloud, he was the farthest thing in her mind at this point in time. Aeris pulled herself closer to him until there was basically nothing separating them. Sephiroth moved his hand from her lower back and traced the curves of her body. Aeris snaked her arms around him, begging him to continue. Sephiroth suddenly snapped away. He grabbed the sides of his head and began to curl up in pain. Aeris gasped in horror, and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to help him. Sephiroth winced under her touch.  
  
"Get away." Sephiroth groaned through his teeth.  
  
Aeris retracted, noticing that she was adding to his pain. She looked beyond Sephiroth to see that Jenova had found her way back. Aeris stared at her with intense hatred again. A twisted smile broke across Jenova's face. Sephiroth was still laying on the ground. He was breathing hastily and in rigid gasps.  
  
"Don't you see? Sephiroth is mine. You can never free him from my hold. He is a part of me and always will be. You're foolish Materia can't save him either. He can't be saved." Jenova chuckled.  
  
Sephiroth rose to his feet and retrieved his sword that Aeris didn't even notice was there until now. He stood there, lifelessly. His body was an empty void again. Aeris ran over to him. She grabbed his shoulders violently.  
  
"Come on Sephiroth you can beat her!" Aeris yelled.  
  
She stared into his bleak eyes searching for an answer. A flash of life ran through them, but was quickly snuffed. She could hear what they were trying to say,  
  
"I'm sorry Aeris, but I can't. I'm too weak to fight her. I will always remember your kindness."  
  
Aeris' face crumbled in defeat as she began to cry. Sephiroth freed one arm and threw her to the ground. And with a voice not of his own, he said,  
  
"Remember, you're only alive now because this place is too holy. But you will die."  
  
She could hear Jenova behind him laughing in delight.  
  
"You will meet your demise little Certa. The Ancients can't protect you forever." Jenova hissed.  
  
Sephiroth then disappeared from her sight into the darkness of the forest up ahead.  
  
"What should I do?" she cried out.  
  
"If you pray for Holy, he will be saved at your request." came the voices of the Ancients.  
  
A look of relief came to her as she gained knowledge from the Certa. He will be cleansed of Jenova with Holy and be a part of her people. He will find his way to their Promised Land. Aeris stared off into the distance where Sephiroth had disappeared. A small tear of uselessness escaped her eye. She wished she could help him in some other way. A soft breeze passed through a brought with it a voice. A voice so pure and soft, she knew exactly who it was. It was Sephiroth.  
  
"Thank-you Aeris.....I love you."  
He was strong enough to break Jenova's control over him. Though it was only for mere seconds, he did it. Aeris knew then, that Sephiroth really was just a victim, not a villain, and it was her job to save him, and the Planet. She had to play the role of the hero or heroine if you will, even if it would cost her, her life.  



	2. 

An Angel Without Wings His crimson life force flows down his face as he stares wide-eyed in disbelief that a weakling like Cloud could ever kill him. Cloud glares back at Sephiroth, no emotion etched on his face. As far as Cloud was concerned, Sephiroth could burn in hell for what he did to Aeris. Because of him, Aeris was laying at the bottom of the crystal blue waters of a lake within the Ancient City, her beauty hidden from the world for all eternity.  
  
But suddenly, to Cloud's surprise, the LifeStream starts to form around them. His sapphire like eyes follows the strange glow. He looks up to see Sephiroth disintegrating into a sickly red light; Jenova tainted LifeStream. Aeris' LifeStream intertwines with his immediately, confusing Cloud.  
  
Why would she do this? Doesn't she remember what he did to her? He thought to himself as he stood a lone to witness this.  
  
Suddenly, the two LifeStreams enter him. He staggers back slightly at the sensation. He closes his eyes trying to make sense of all the voice that echoed through him. Under the statements of hate Sephiroth's voice whispered, he could hear the muffled sound of weeping. What was this noise? Was it…? It was Sephiroth. He strained his senses to follow the noise and slowly an image appeared before him. A young Sephiroth curled into the corner of a dark dank room, shivering. He cries quietly, obviously in pain. Around his wrists, are broken restraining straps and an identification bracelet. His pants tattered, and topless, he shakes uncontrollably hiding from something or someone. His then shorter silver hair falling into his lifeless tear filled eyes casting a shadow over his dirtied and sullen face. Cloud watches this scene speechless, not knowing if it was only Sephiroth trying to deceive him, or not. The room starts to lighten from behind Cloud; he turns to see a doorway with the outline of black figures fill the area. They start to come closer and Cloud grasps the hilt of his Ultimate Weapon ready to strike, but the figures go through him as if he wasn't there. Amazed, he stares blankly for a minute then turns to see what they are going to do.  
Before the young Sephiroth can take to his feet and run away, two of the lab coated men grab him throwing him back down. He screams out to them to leave him a lone, he didn't want any more injections. Unable to do, anything, Cloud watches the scene before him unfold. They forcefully turn his arm so the underside is exposed. Another doctor reveals the needle full of a glowing purple liquid. Sephiroth stares to it fearfully, with tears rolling down his face and begs them not to do anymore. As if his cries fall upon deaf ears, the doctor rams the needle into his vein. Cloud watches as Sephiroth's eyes grow wide and his face freezes. He was in a catatonic state due to the shock of the situation and the unbearable pain that now surged through his blood. One of the professors pulled at his eyelid to examine his eye and wrote something on his clipboard. Another measured his heart rate and wrote that down as well. In low voices, inaudible for Cloud, they discuss what to do next with the boy for a few more minutes and then leave, Sephiroth still frozen from the ordeal. Cloud knew Sephiroth was injected with Jenova cells, but to his knowledge it was only at birth. But here was an older Sephiroth, looking about ten years old, maybe a bit older, in a dark wet room in fear of another injection.  
  
Sephiroth breaks from his traumatic coma in a fit of coughing. Cloud stared intensively to see what would happen next. Sephiroth snaps his head in Cloud direction by stares right through him as if something were behind him. There they were, the cold menacing Mako eyes he possessed. They had an eerie glow about them as Sephiroth scanned the room. A twisted smile crossed his lips as he scoffed quietly lurching forward to rest his arms upon his bent knees. This was the Sephiroth Cloud knew all too well. Could it be that all this time, Sephiroth was acting upon the impulses of the Jenova cells and not his own? Could this mean that the insanity that he endured at Nibelhiem wasn't just because of learning about the experiment? Did he forget this happened and then after seeing the records, it all came back too fast for him to handle? Cloud mused to himself.  
The scene before him dimmed and Cloud was back now staring at the LifeStream once more. A hand emerges reaching for him. Aeris…? He reaches for the hand slightly but suddenly world came into focus, as Tifa's yelling for him to snap out of it and grab her hand. Shaking his head and realizing that the rock cliff he's standing on is about to break away, he reaches for her hand, when suddenly, the cliff Tifa's perched on smashes, and it is Cloud who saves her. As he looks back to see if she's alright, he catches a sight of the Mako. His mind goes to Aeris now understanding why she saved Sephiroth's soul and pulled Tifa and himself to safety.  
  
His body hits the ground hard, but he makes not a sound. As he lay there, his head stops spinning enough to lift it and gaze about. He pushed himself up to a kneeling position and further investigated. It was then that he noticed that his body was free of pain. He looked down at his chest, placing one black, gloved hand over it perplexed. No longer did the screams of Jenova course through his veins. He was confused and lost. A soft light began to form a ways from him and a figure appeared. Two delicate smooth feet step gracefully toward him. As Sephiroth's eyes elevated, he noticed that the figure was definitely female, and a beautiful one at that. Around the waist, he notices long elegant chestnut colored hair. This hair; it triggered something in his mind and he can see himself standing over an Ancient, her lifeless body at the end of his mighty Masamune.   
Could this be…?  
  
She lowers herself to one knee, her sheer white dress billowing about her as she moves; then settles upon the ground. She stares into his eyes a small smile across her pale pink lips.   
"You made it safely…"   
Sephiroth quickly grasps the hilt of the Masamune that lay faithfully at his side and places the blade against her silky neck.   
"What are you doing here? Didn't I kill you?"  She smiles a bit more "Yes, you did."   
Fearlessly, she gently takes his empty hand and brings it to her chest directly beneath her breasts letting him feel the scar he left behind. He jumps back after feeling it staring to the Ancient in dismay, clutching the Masamune's hilt tightly.   
"If you're dead, then what are you doing here?"   
"To bring you to the Promised Land. Isn't that what you've been searching for?"   
"The Promised Land? I have to be dead to…" his eyes widen as he trails off now comprehending that he was dead.  



End file.
